A Night in Antarctica with Mr. Yum Yum

< div>[#image: /photos/53db1a7bdcd5888e145e394a]||||||< br>< em>The staredown< p>< strong>JAN 8: DAY 11< br>< p>< em>Follow our < strong>< ahref="http://www.concierge.com/cntraveler/contests/dreamtrip2007/winner">2007 Dream Trip Contest winner through South America and Antarctica. And don't forget to enter our < strong>< ahref="http://cntraveler.com/dreamtrip">2008 Dream Trip Contest. The prize? A $25,000 trip (designed by Wendy) to the destination(s) of your dreams."< p>[#image: /photos/53db1a7b6dec627b14a18f1b]||||||< p>By < ahref="http://www.genepembrokephotography.com/bio.html">Gene Pembroke< p>Up early again to witness the Lemaire Channel from top deck. This was hyped and it was indeed beautiful, but in my opinion it pales to other spots we have visited. (I think)< br>< br>A two hour Zodie cruise around Pleneau Island finds us in an area with the supercool name of the Iceberg Graveyard. Great shapes in the ice here, and we saw Weddell and Elephant seals. But the star of the show was a spunky little < ahref="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leopard_seal">Leopard Seal that popped up around our boat for about 25 minutes or so. This guy was huge, and was extremely curious. Watching him glide through the clear cold water was a wonderful treat in itself, but when he poked his head out to give us a look it was icing on the cake. We also saw shags, terns, skuas, petrels, and kelp gulls, and a very brief glimpse of Minke whales was had by some, but not by Arlene or me unfortunately.< br>< p>[#image: /photos/53db1a7bdcd5888e145e3938]||||||< br>< em>Iceberg Graveyard< br>< br>Back on the ship it's Maggie's birthday and we all get treated to a fabulous cake filled with mango, melon, and cream. We also have a camping briefing after dinner, because about fifty of us have decided a night of camping on the Antarctic ice is something that cannot be missed. I couldn't believe the whole ship didn't go for it to be honest.< p>Before camping though we have another excursion to Petermann Island, where we will be dropping off Steve and Melissa so they can continue the penguin counting project they began years ago. They will be here five weeks. The island used to have more Adelie penguins, but recently Gentoos have been increasing in numbers as the Adelies decline. One could call this "Gentooification" of the neighborhood, if one were a moron I guess.< p>[#image: /photos/53db1a7bdcd5888e145e3948]||||||< br>< em>A curious Leopard seal trailed our boat< br>< br>[#image: /photos/53db1a7b6dec627b14a18f2b]||||||< br>< em>Behind that smile are some sharp teeth< p>We walk around and see our first Adelies and check out the rookeries. Skuas were lurking nearby as always. We say bye to Steve and Melissa, as they level the ground for their tents, and as Adelies and Gentoos gathered and seemed to say "Stevie!"< br>< div>[#image: /photos/53db1a7ddcd5888e145e3968]||||||< br>< em>Cozy< p>Later that night around 21:30 we Zodiac to a place called Deprivation Point to camp. We have no tents, so will be crashing in sleeping bags and bivvy sacks only. I would say "under the stars" but it never really gets dark. We are briefed on how to use the temporary toilet facilities, which we must carry back to ship so as not to alter the environment. This consists of a small blue barrel lined with plastic bags named is Mr. Yum Yum.< br>< br>David plays some of his son's band's music for us, and it's pretty cool. They are a Glasgow-based group that were called The Young Guns until they learned of a US band with the same name; they are now Not The Young Guns.< div>[#image: /photos/53db1a7e6dec627b14a18f3f]||||||< br>< em>Camping supplies< p>The sun sort of disappeared for a bit and then resurfaced around midnight. Arlene was fast asleep. I was drinking rum and reading Shackelton's < em>South. I was using ice from a glacier in my glass before I switched to scotch. The light in the sky, the clouds, the water, everything was simply otherworldly. I jumped out of my sack and started taking photos and enjoying this magnificence. I was in awe. I got to see for the first time in my life a sun dog, which is an awesome optical phenomenon caused by refraction and reflection of sunlight by ice crystals floating in the atmosphere. I was treated to an amazing play of light on icebergs in the bay. I saw colors in the sky that may have been new to me.< br>< br>I got to use Mr. Yum Yum.< p> The idea came to me here for an Antarctic Film Festival. The movies could be projected from ships and instead of screens icebergs could be used. Think about that! How cool would that be? All of the money could go to Antarctic awareness funds! Penguins would get in free! Woohoo! If this ever happens, remember you heard it here first.< br>< br>I eventually curled back into my little cocoon and slept from about 3 until 6.< p>[#image: /photos/53db1a7ddcd5888e145e3978]||||||< br>< em>Mr. Yum Yum